Doctor Who

Time for 'Doctor Who' fans to flex those thumbs: A new 'Doctor Who' console game is on the way. 'Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock' is due to be released early next year, and will be the first of a new series of HD 'Doctor Who' console games for digital download platforms.

In a statement, Robert Nashak, EVP of Digital Entertainment at BBC Worldwide said: "We're creating these new games for Playstation 3 and Vita with adaptations that will bring the wonder, adventure and madness of 'Doctor Who' to each platform."

The news of the launch comes as iTunes released its Top-Selling List for 2011, which reveals that 'Doctor Who' was the top-selling television series of the year.

I'm hard to shop for -- I fully admit that -- but the one way to my heart is with anything TV-related. Now that it's officially December, it's time to start putting up holiday decorations and brainstorming the perfect presents for everyone on your list ... even the picky people.

I've pulled together the best of the best holiday presents inspired by TV, including full series box sets of fan-favorite shows, a paperweight worthy of geek must-have status, a few books (yes, books) written by TV funny ladies and more gotta-have gear from the hottest comedies and dramas. There's something for all ages, all price ranges and all TV lovers.

So put your kids down for a nap in their leather jackets (you'll see), curl up with Big Joe (you'll love) and settle in for this epic list of TV-themed gifting goodness. Happy shopping!

'Doctor Who' star Matt Smith performed a striptease on TV Friday night, but it was all for a good cause. As part of the BBC's annual 'Children in Need' telethon Smith stripped off a signature 'Doctor Who' outfit before putting it up for auction together with a signed script.

Talking on this morning's 'BBC Breakfast' Smith said he hopes the items will fetch as much as possible, and he reiterated his belief that "bow ties are cool." He also talked about the "massive challenge" of taking on a role that's been part of the British cultural landscape for 50 years. Smith joked that at a recent party he was starstruck to meet two of his predecessors in the role, David Tennant and his father-in-law Peter Davison, thinking "Wow, it's Doctor Who!" before realizing "I'm Doctor Who!"

Variety reports that David Yates -- the director behind four of the 'Harry Potter' movie adaptations, including both parts of 'The Deathly Hallows' -- is looking to develop a big-screen version of the time-traveling Doctor.

Elisabeth Sladen may not have been a household name in the U.S., but to generations of Brits who grew up watching 'Doctor Who' from behind the sofa each Saturday, she was a legend. Her untimely death from cancer earlier this year caught fans by surprise, and they were joined by 'Doctor Who' stars, writers and producers in mourning her passing.

Now it's been announced that Sladen's autobiography will be published posthumously. Publisher Aurum Press told the BBC that the original April release date has been brought forward to November 7, "with the support and participation of Elisabeth's family".

Former 'Doctor Who' star David Tennant has written a foreword to the "warm and witty" memoir, which covers Sladen's almost 40 years with the show as well as her "humble" beginnings in post-war Liverpool and her early stage and screen appearances.

The Internet has been buzzing for a few days about remarks that 'Doctor Who' star Matt Smith made recently -- he appeared to indicate in an interview that he may only be doing one more season of 'Doctor Who' and then try his luck in Hollywood.

You'll note that the previous paragraph contained a lot of hedging -- that's because there's no confirmation from the BBC or Smith's handlers that the actor's next 'Doctor Who' season will be his last.

Still, if Smith leaves the role after next season, which is set to go into production in early 2012, I think it'd be a terrible mistake. Here's why.

This week's podcast focuses on a new show, a program that just had its season finale, and a drama that's heading toward the end of its season.

In the first part of the podcast, Ryan McGee and I talked about FX's 'American Horror Story,' which debuts Wednesday (I reviewed it here). In the second part of the podcast, we talked about the season finale of 'Doctor Who,' which I wrote about here.

Finally, we wrapped up with a chat about the penultimate episode of 'Breaking Bad's' gripping fourth season. Just a heads up: After it airs, we'll have extensive coverage of the 'Breaking Bad' season finale, including an interview with creator Vince Gilligan and a 'Bad' Talking TV podcast featuring a special guest.

The season finale of 'Doctor Who' had quite a few fun bells and whistles and enjoyable moments.

But executive producer/head honcho Steven Moffat's inability to stop adding bells and whistles sometimes gets in the way of emotionally resonant moments on this show. By the time the finale rolled around, there was so much business that had be dealt with that much of the running time of 'The Wedding of River Song' consisted of extremely clever but nonetheless exposition-y exposition.

As for the wedding of the title? Well, that was emblematic of what didn't quite work.

A little bit 'Mean Girls,' a little bit 'Easy A,' this new sitcom goes for the fish-out-of-water gambit, when a single dad (Jeremy Sisto) pulls his precocious teen daughter out of Manhattan and settles them both in a suburban town where the social scene is even more broken. The father-daughter relationship is as warm and lovely as anything on 'Modern Family' and many of the jokes are just as funny. Plus Cheryl Hines is hilarious as a woman trying very hard to be Barbie.

Following news that co-creator Eileen Atkins has quit the series, comes the announcement that 'ER' and 'Doctor Who' star Alex Kingston has signed on for a major role in the upcoming season.

The BBC announced that Kingston will play the younger sister of Atkins' character, Lady Holland, the racy-sounding archaeologist Blanche Mottershead.

"I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to get inside the iconic 165 Eaton Place," said Kingston, adding that Blanche is "a wonderfully, intriguing character ... who will over time reveal some secrets of her own."

Note: Premieres are still debuting, so I'd like to emphasize the "picks" portion of the title and remind you that I'm only spotlighting a selection of the week's most noteworthy offerings. For a full listing of new and returning shows and their timeslots, check out our fall premiere grid or alphabetized list to plan your schedule.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

'Terra Nova' (8PM ET, Fox) series premiere
The long-awaited, super-hyped and mega-expensive sci-fi drama finally lands on Fox this week, but is it worthy of the buzz? Surprisingly, yes. Some of the dialogue is leaden and lord knows how many times we've seen the "obnoxious teenager" archetype on genre shows, but I have a certain fondness for "event" TV, and this action-packed premiere is engaging enough and sets up plenty of potential mysteries for the season ahead. Gather your whole family for the spectacle.

'Hart of Dixie' (9PM ET, The CW) series premiere
Following the return of 'Gossip Girl,' this 'Everwood'-esque drama brings a little heart to The CW (pardon the pun) and gave me a serious case of the warm fuzzies. If you can get over the (admittedly large) hurdle of buying Rachel Bilson as a doctor, you'll probably appreciate its guileless, small town charm. Few shows can replicate the fond, nostalgic vibe that used to be The WB's stock in trade with shows like 'Gilmore Girls' and '7th Heaven,' so I'll admit that I'm kind of addicted. Whether it's more realistic than dinosaurs, though ... you'll have to draw your own conclusions.

After the current season of 'Doctor Who' wraps up Oct. 1, settle into your time machine for a good long wait for the Doctor's return.

The next season of the sci-fi show won't air in the UK until fall 2012, according to the Doctor Who Magazine, a reliable source for all things TARDIS-related. And given that BBC America, 'Doctor Who's' American network, has followed the UK airing pattern of the show very closely, it stands to reason that we'll have to wait about a year for the next season as well.

We don't have the new issue of the Doctor Who Magazine, which came out today, but Doctor Who TV, a UK fan site, does have a copy and said the the magazine "officially confirmed" the fall 2012 return of the show.

On this week's Talking TV podcast, Ryan McGee and I delve into the return of 'How I Met Your Mother,' the great season 'Breaking Bad' is having and reader questions touching on 'The Killing' and 'Doctor Who.'

A couple of side notes: Ryan and I will be talking about 'Breaking Bad' every week from now until the show has its season 4 finale in October.

Also, we are dropping a special 'Fringe' podcast Friday night or early Saturday. We thought it would be best to talk about that show after everyone had seen the season 4 premiere, so look for that podcast then. I won't do a separate post on the 'Fringe' podcast, just check the Talking TV site or iTunes for it.